Glastonbury Festival Pictures

Josh Aggars of flip flops city shares his experience and photos of the magic and wonder that is the Glastonbury Festival.

Glastonbury Music and Arts Festival

The Glastonbury Festival is like no other music festival on Earth. It is the biggest and best in the UK, a self-policed world where you forget about regular life for a few days and totally tune out.

Well that is my experience anyway. I’ve been going to music festivals around Europe and the U.S. for some 15 years now and Glastonbury remains the unbeaten champion. It’s the charm of the place, the fact that a farmer some 40 years ago decided to turn his land over to a bunch of hippies so that they could put on a small festival that sees that same sense of freedom and adventure enduring to this day.

Unlike most other festivals where an overbearing security set up check your wrist band as you enter and leave arenas, your food and drink is confiscated so that you are forced to purchase from inflated priced official sponsors, at Glastonbury you simply cart in as much as you can carry on the first day and then proceed to get as debauched as your spirit will allow.

Add to that the vast expanse of the place (some 200,000 people squeezed into a valley of 900 acres), the wide mix of people from different age groups and backgrounds, the range of music on offer (some 26 music and theatre stages) and the collective will to set aside differences and just party and it’s hard not to fall in love with the place.

Glastonbury Main Music Stages

The world famous Pyramid Stage, the centrepiece of the festival, this year headlined by U2, Coldplay and Beyonce. The light at the tip of the stage remains on at night and can be seen from all the surrounding hills of the farm. A great way to navigate your way home if confused.

Throughout the day it’s a great place to relax in the sun whilst taking in great bands and costumes!

Glastonbury Festival Crowd

Glastonbury Pyramid Music Stage

Glastonbury Pyramid Music Stage

Glastonbury Pyramid Music Stage

Glastonbury Music Festival

Glastonbury Music Festival

Glastonbury Music Festival

Glastonbury Music Festival

Glastonbury Pyramid Music Stage

Glastonbury Pyramid Music Stage

Glastonbury Music Festival

Glastonbury Park

Glastonbury Pyramid Music Stage

Glastonbury Market Area

Walking around the site you always come across interesting characters, stalls and music. Here in the Market Area there is no shortage of photo opportunities.

Glastonbury Market Area

Glastonbury The Cider Bus

Glastonbury Market Area

Glastonbury Market Area

Glastonbury Market Area

Glastonbury Market Area

Glastonbury Market Area

Glastonbury The Bandstand

Glastonbury The Bandstand

There are always some casualties from a day of drinking and dancing in the sun! A little headache later and no doubt this warrior would be back partying.

Glastonbury Passed Out

Glastonbury Dance Village

The Dance Village is always alive and a great place to warm up for a night of partying ahead.

Glastonbury Dance Village

Glastonbury Dance Village

Glastonbury Dance Village

Glastonbury Pleasure City

By night Glastonbury really comes alive. After the headline acts have left the stage at midnight the party moves to the entertainment fields of Pleasure City otherwise known as Shangri La, Arcadia, The Common, The Unfairground and Block 9.

People arrive in fancy dress to party the night away with the hosts of each venue whether they be Mad Max techno warriors, Mermaids, Ghosts or Other.

Each themed area is home to outside sound stages, clubs, bars and anything else that will leave you doing a double take.

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Campo Pequeno

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Pleasure City

Glastonbury Block 9 Stage

Come dawn and the party continues at the outside Block 9 stage amongst others.

Glastonbury Block 9 Stage

And that is one of thousands of alternative experiences at Glastonbury. Repeat four days in succession and then head home exhausted and in need of a holiday!

About Josh Aggars

Josh writes about beach life, surfing, travel and more. His passion for surfing takes him to amazing places around the World and comes through in his regular articles as he explores all aspects of the sport. Connect with him at any time for articles, stories or just plain old chat.

Oh my gosh, I can’t believe someone actually brought a chair like that to the grass at the festival!! I’ve been to Coachella before but I think I will definitely have to put this on my *Must See* list for the future 🙂 What’s your favorite act you’ve seen there?

You kind of get used to it. One of the years I went, I think 2003, thousands of people broke in so the site was twice over capacity. Now that really was an experience of ‘I think someone has double parked on my tent!’

All good though and you’re only really at your tent briefly to pass out (and I say that even if you’ve not had a drink as it’s an exhausting but fun non stop day, day after day).

It is a great party on the mind if nothing else as every tent you go in there is something that makes you do a double take. With the mermaid she just sat there for a couple of hours whilst the party went on all around her platform… Gotta love committed mime actors!

I, summer is not summer without at least one fest. Try for Bestival or Big Chill I reckon. I went to Big Chill 2 summers ago and was amazed at how much that had changed since I went to the very first one. It’s Glastonbury lite and deffie my fav. to try for next years.

Hey Don,
Yeah she was cool. I never saw her have a drink or stop for a toilet break in the 3 hours we were dancing round there despite the fact the room was like a sauna so respect to that level of dedication to one’s art!

Those are great Josh! Thanks much for taking us there visually! I was fortunate enough to attend Glastonbury in 1994 (a fantastic year line up-wise) and though I’ve been to Coachella three times since and a few more festivals, nothing has come close to matching the ultimate experience there on the farm! Hope make it back one of these years.

Wow ’94, that was just before my first visit. Was that the year Oasis broke through? I reckon it has changed beyond all measure since my first year in ’97 so you should definitely head back. Large parts of the site are now dedicated to the night time experience whereas before everyone just used to head up to the stone circles and make their own fun. Whilst they still do that you have so many options for all night partying that you only really get up there for sunrise now.
Ah writing about it just makes me sad that there’s not another one for two whole years!

Josh, headliners/big names in 94 were Peter Gabriel, Elvis & the Attractions (first show together in 7-8 years), Paul Weller, James, Levellers, Beastie Boys, Bjork, Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, and Blur. Oasis hadn’t gotten huge yet. They played but were way down on the bill and I didn’t see them. Yah, the stone circles were definitely happening in 94 with far fewer all-night options. I was working in radio, so we actually camped backstage with a bunch of other bands (including Radiohead, who also hadn’t blown-up yet!) and John Peel’s big broadcast truck. Experience of a lifetime!